


Setting Fires

by VanishedGalaxy



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:28:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8897056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanishedGalaxy/pseuds/VanishedGalaxy
Summary: Baekhyun has it all, but he just wants more.And both.-"Why is it easier to burn than it is to heal?"





	1. I can't go on & on

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request. No chill in the smut scenes. Also, slightly psychological with a small appearance of Jongdae. Proceed at your own discretion.

Baekhyun has it all.

A perfect life, a perfect boyfriend, a well-paying job, a nice apartment somewhere in a quiet neighborhood. He was blessed by life itself and he has everything he’d ever aimed for, dreamed of.

Sure, work is there to drain the energy out of him. And he will spend ten hours a day locked in his office and going through different files and papers that were sent by different companies across the country and beyond. It is frustrating to come early in the morning and face the massive piles of papers that lie on top of his desk, and how he’ll have to go through them by the end of his shift. Even getting his coffee from the break room every three hours is tiring. The only thing that somehow keeps him sane, except the couple of smoking breaks he takes on the rooftop through the day, is the sight of his boyfriend.

Coming home has long ago become something that made the entire exhaustion disappear. Chanyeol will welcome him in in the early evening, having already cooked for him some dinner. They always eat together, even if that meant Chanyeol would stay hungry for two hours more. He is always willing to wait for Baekhyun even after the other insists he should not.

The whole apartment will smell of food and Baekhyun will snuggle by the warmth Chanyeol radiates as they watch a random movie after dinner. All but a blanket covering them and all the lights off (because Chanyeol enjoys a movie much more in pitch darkness). They are always too tired, but never of each other.

And Baekhyun will often find himself boasting to others how their little, insignificant then, high school romance is still going strong after so many years. It is still there, the spark of the same crush one had on the other. A cute story he loves to share because he classifies himself as one of the luckiest men alive.

So when time comes and Chanyeol brings up marriage one night during dinner, Baekhyun is more than ecstatic. It is a couple nights later that Baekhyun sports a simple, yet so significant ring in the office which has everyone wonder and ask. Only for Baekhyun to reveal Chanyeol is wearing the same one as him, and that they have much great plans in the distant future. Because they are still a bit too busy for anything to rush.

It is also a couple days later when Baekhyun enters the meeting room where another person, a man he knows nothing about, is present as well. His company is not known to hire people frequently, and when it does, it is only if the person is worthy enough.

As he sits in his regular seat, unsurprisingly enough opposite of the unknown man, he finds his eyes wander a little too much to his direction. It is during that meeting that he finds out that man is planned to work in the same department as him, and also in the same specialty under public relations. Baekhyun is not that fond of the idea since he’s gotten used to working alone for the past years. But he also knows he has no say in it as the company does as it sees fit.

And so, a new chapter starts before Baekhyun even realizes. The only confirmation there is, is the intrigued glance Kim Jongin, his new work partner, shoots his way.

Baekhyun only finds his fingers touch the ring around his ring finger, as if to make sure it is still there.

***

Jongin is a smart man with high standards. He is never late, he is never one to rush out after his shift ends, and most of all, he is aware of his actions and appearance to a degree that makes Baekhyun fantasize him as a God.

As many times as he has looked for flaws, he never found any. It is as if the man is built without them, perfected for a work, and outgoing and persuading enough to be very good at his job. In a sense, Baekhyun is quite jealous of him. He is much younger than him, a couple years or so, and is fit for the company what seems to be more than what Baekhyun does after years of trying. It is as if he was the one to fit perfectly in this community that makes Baekhyun feel competitive and sometimes, even replaced.

So he doesn’t work with him. And when he does, he does his best because he has to prove himself worthy enough. Otherwise, he sees himself being fired by the end of the year.

Everyone in the office seems to like him, though. But Baekhyun guesses it is his character that makes him likable in the first place. He is talkative, but not so much. He is smart, handsome, knows manners and speaks in respectful speech. Baekhyun hates his perfection more than anything else in this world.

When Chanyeol notices the scowl on his face a week after and comments on it, Baekhyun waves it off as a bad day at the office. Which is true, but not exactly.

It is most likely his indifference and him avoiding Jongin that results in one noon when Jongin knocks on his office’s door. Baekhyun doesn’t pay much attention but voices a soft invitation—he is drowning in all these files but he has to go through them by four o’clock. That way, he’ll be faster than that Jongin guy and prove himself to be better than him.

“Byun Baekhyun?” It is to his misfortune that the man traveling in his mind for the past week asks for him once the door opens. He pokes half of his tall figure in, a light smile on his plump lips and two coffees in his hand. “I went to get coffee and thought to get you one as well.”

_So perfect._

Baekhyun grits his teeth and can only nod his head for whatever reason. Jongin takes that as an indication to come in and he does, closing the door behind him and slowly walking towards his office. “Joonmyun told me you drink it black?”

_Curse Joonmyun, too_. Baekhyun nods again and watches as Jongin places the plastic cup in front of him so silently. _Annoyingly silently_. “Thank you,” he mutters out dismissively, like he’s gotten a habit of talking to him.

“Did you go through the file the DO Corporative sent in yesterday?” Jongin asks casually and Baekhyun wonders what had somehow hinted he is open for conversation.

“Not yet.”

“No need to. I already went through it, and it’s not worth it.”

Baekhyun refrains from glaring at him so he drops the files in his hand on the surface of the desk a bit too forcefully. Jongin is surprised but Baekhyun does not care. “We’re supposed to be in the same department, so my opinion on it is needed. Thus, I have to review it as well.” _Don’t tell me how to do my job._

“I just wanted to save you some time. If you want to, you can go through it. There’s no need to, though. Unfair negotiations.” Jongin replies lightly, his tone unbothered by Baekhyun’s light burst. “I’ll let you to your work.”

Baekhyun is too stubborn to even bid farewell to him, and just stares holes into the papers in front of him until his office door clicks closed. Then, he pulls the file from the DO Corporative. There are around twenty papers of negotiations and plans and he lets a sigh out.

Maybe four o’clock is not fast enough to beat Jongin.

***

It is a piece of routine after that. Jongin will knock on his office door every noon, offering him a cup of instant coffee and talking about yet another file Baekhyun hasn’t gone through yet. It is annoying at first. Beyond annoying, to be frank.

Baekhyun is not fond of seeing his face whenever he is trying to work, and the small conversations they have (mostly one-sided since Baekhyun barely lets a word out after the first day) only puts more pressure on him. It’s come to the point where he will try to “think like Jongin” and choose and pick the files he will most likely go through so he’ll be prepared when Jongin will come by at noon. But he was never the best with guessing games.

He will also skip breaks because he is so immersed in doing better than Jongin. And it is during one of his smoking breaks that he realizes his mind is full of Jongin.

Jongin this, Jongin that, if Jongin, when Jongin, Jongin, Jongin, _Jongin_.

Baekhyun is frowning at the buildings standing tall around his company’s, as if they are to blame. He is going crazy and whatever he does, seems to not be enough at the end of the day. It feels like it is Jongin’s plan—to affect everything Baekhyun does until just right out collapses.

Chanyeol has started being worried about his days when he’ll come home with newly-formed wrinkles after a whole day of frowning. When he’ll be in no mood for any jokes. When he’ll be too stiff under Chanyeol’s hands. That bothers Baekhyun too, but he won’t share his troubles with Chanyeol considering they are work related, and Chanyeol has his own drama going on in the restaurant he works at.

Chanyeol is there for _him_ , not his work problems.

So it is only a bummer when he has to call Chanyeol one afternoon, announcing he’ll be coming home very late that night. His department boss has decided they have to type up some files to send to some companies the following day about an event, so he’ll have to stay overtime. And maybe he wouldn’t be so bitter, if it wasn’t the fact that he’d have to do it with Kim Jongin.

“Oh…” is Chanyeol’s disappointed reply and Baekhyun sighd into the phone.

“I’m sorry. You should just eat dinner and sleep. I’ll try to come back as soon as I can, so don’t worry about me.”

“Are you sure I shouldn’t wait up for you? How long do you expect it to take?”

Baekhyun glances at the files, then at Jongin and mentally scowls. “A while. It’s a lot of work…”

“Oh…”

“It’s alright. Don’t stay up for me. I will just silently come in.”

“Alright,” Baekhyun can hear the hesitation in Chanyeol’s word and it makes him feel guilty.

“Sleep tight, okay? I miss you and I love you,” he whispers the last part into the phone and Chanyeol giggles slightly.

“I miss you and I love you, too.”

Baekhyun only sighs as he throws his phone on the desk and buries his head in his hands. It feels like his head will burst and what’s left of his brain will turn into million pieces. The whole day has been tiring, and the overtime and Jongin’s presence are not helping him one bit.

“Tough balancing wife and work, huh?”

Baekhyun really, really tries not to glare so he just keeps his head buried. “ _Fiancé_.”

“Oh..” is the only sound Jongin makes and it catches Baekhyun off-guard. He looks up, his eyes two slits.

“You have a problem with something?”

“No, of course not.” Jongin’s sudden smile is enough to steal Baekhyun’s breath. “But that makes everything so much more interesting.”

And before Baekhyun can ask what he meant, Jongin starts talking about work matters so it is pushed aside. Needless to say that that night, Baekhyun lies in bed and thinks about what he could have meant. It is the first time he’s gotten such a response after revealing his relationship status, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He isn’t sure what he is supposed to make of it, but he can feel his senses go crazy because he feels both worry and anticipation now.

***

Baekhyun is barely fifteen when he changes schools and comes to the big city after his parents seek out other work opportunities. High school is Baekhyun’s enemy because now, he is in a city he knows no one and has no friends. And due to the timing being off, it is the middle of the school year and as much as he tries to fit in, it seems like everyone has already settled with their new friends. So he is just there to fill a gap whenever someone is feeling lonely.

Replaceable.

But Baekhyun keeps being optimistic and he tries to meet all kinds of pupils and make all sorts of friendships. Even though he’ll later find out that he was called “the annoying nerd” behind his back.

Either way, that year is also the gradual development of his crush on the basketball team captain Park Chanyeol. He is a tall lanky male with crazy long brown curls, a wide smile and a set of big ears. He is pretty popular amongst girls in the school but he is also not the usual team captain. He is way too dorky, way too childish, way too stupid. And it is because of those traits that Baekhyun has started falling for him.

Thus, a year after, during their first date, Baekhyun can’t but hide giggles here and there because he’s been waiting for this day for so many months. Chanyeol is a charmer despite what most of his teammates would have expected. Or maybe it is Baekhyun who is the only one to witness such a side of him.

Their first date is nothing special, both being two simple teenagers with minimal allowance. They’ve gone by a store for take-away fast food and by the small market for two beers, and they sat on the basketball course next to the road around the Han river. It is simple, and they spend hours talking the time away. Laughing, joking, eating and drinking and promising they’ll meet again.

It is a couple months later they are officially together—or so they say, because they’ve barely shared a kiss at some point since both of them are pretty shy back. Same high school, same university, same apartment, and fast forward to now, future husbands.

It is funny how their relationship has gone through so many milestones and only matured as they grew together. Baekhyun wants to believe they are lucky like that.

***

Some winter days at the office are hell on Earth without a hot cup of coffee. So Baekhyun will take extra breaks to fill up his mug with caffeine. It takes him standing at the break room with his eyes glaring at the coffee machine that is taking way too long to drop his beverage, that Jongdae sneaks up on him.

“What? Troubles at home?” Jongdae jokes when Baekhyun appears way too grumpy to appreciate his jumpscare. He leans against the counter, his own mug in hand since he’s come here for the same reason the older has.

“More like troubles at work.”

“You hurt my feelings right now!” Jongdae offers as he elbows him to the side but the other is un-crackable. So he just grimaces. “What’s wrong?”

“Kim Jongin is what’s wrong.” That pulls a confused expression from his co-worker so Baekhyun sighs before elaborating; “I feel like I’m slowly being replaced.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that! You’ve been working here for years, you know this job better than him.” Jongdae smiles, patting his shoulder.

“He’s harmless.”

Baekhyun wouldn’t exactly choose that word to describe Jongin. Especially not when said man is pinning him against the wall with a smirk so mischievous that sends shivers down his spine. His fingers curl so he can touch the same ring Chanyeol wears, only to remember he took it off that morning. He isn’t even sure why he’s started taking it off before entering the workplace every day when a couple weeks ago he was proudly showing it off.

It is then, he also realizes his position and the control he is unable to get a hold of.

He is almost one hundred percent sure they are supposed to be working on yet another job their boss has given them. He is almost entirely sure they were drinking coffee and going through files, like five minutes ago. So how did he end up in such state?

_Harmless_.

Jongin’s eyes speak words that are forbidden, almost challenging. He looks like a wild animal cornering its prey, and Baekhyun feels helpless.

It is something in the way Jongin’s hands that touch him that Baekhyun can’t find his voice anymore. He isn’t even sure why he doesn’t just punch that smirk off his face. This is wrong on so many levels that leaves Baekhyun speechless. The nerve of the guy!

That night Baekhyun lies wide awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. The ring is around his finger once again, having put it on before he entered his home. But the guilt is still there, and the evidence is in all those places Jongin has touched him and which burn at the memory.

He hasn’t done anything wrong, has he?

He was just carried away, Jongin is aware he is an engaged man. He wouldn’t do anything stupid, right?

Somehow, the next morning Baekhyun steps into his office once again with the ring placed somewhere in the pockets of his suit pants, and not on his hand and in plain view.

***

It’s a couple days later that Baekhyun is given a day off after spending two night working overtime. He informs Chanyeol prior, so he’ll be able to ask for a day off as well, and there they are, spending the day together.

It is refreshing, after a long while, to hang out without being in a rush of sleeping in early because they work in the morning, or Baekhyun’s mind being unable to let go of work matters. This is much better, to walk down the streets with his hand in Chanyeol’s, and stare at all the shops. Christmas will be in a couple weeks and although it is still pretty early, the decorations around them say otherwise.

It is, however, this guilt that accompanies them to their little walk and makes Baekhyun suffocate once in a while—choke on his words, his eyes staring anywhere but at Chanyeol. His mind can’t but remind him how Jongin had touched him and that stare of his has been engraved so deeply in his brain. It is there and as Baekhyun tries to drown it in his thoughts, it will pop back up and he will only glance Chanyeol’s way in regret and shame.

“Let’s go on vacation for Christmas!” Chanyeol exclaims and Baekhyun winces.

“You know I’ll be working in this holiday.”

“Worth to ask your boss, right?”

Baekhyun munches on his lower lip. He doesn’t want to disappoint his fiancé any more than he already has, so he nods his head. Asking never hurt a soul, right?

Baekhyun isn’t really sure what he expected as an answer to that. Actually he was expecting anything except “I have a trip scheduled for you on Christmas Eve” coming from his boss. He doesn’t really know what to do with himself as he stands in front of the old man, his graying hairs indicating the years he’s spent on his company. He sits comfortably in his thick leather chair, his fingers crossed on top of the heavy desk in his office. Frankly, Baekhyun rarely steps into his office, and when he does, he’s always felt intimidated although he knows the man is pretty laid-back outside of work.

“O-On Christmas Eve?” Baekhyun stutters but the man gives no sign he’s noticed.

“There’ll be an event taking place in Tokyo and I want you and Kim Jongin to represent our company there.” The man leans back in his chair, his eyes carrying a bit of sadness. “I’m sorry it’ll keep you away from home, but we can’t miss this opportunity.”

Chanyeol is not fond of the news to say the least. He had mayor plans for Christmas Eve, going as far as inviting some of his co-workers Baekhyun knows of over for dinner.

“You’ll still be able to celebrate without me,” Baekhyun forced a smile and Chanyeol pulls him in his arms as close to himself as he can.

“But it won’t be the same without my fiancé there!”

That night Baekhyun feels as if he has to please Chanyeol much more than usually, prove that he is sorry, that he is apologizing for ruining his Christmas plans because of work. And maybe he also feels guilty, and a bit shame, for pulling that ring off his finger every single morning.

Maybe he is trying to ensure Chanyeol that he is the only person Baekhyun sees in his life, even if Jongin’s glow has become pretty nerve-wrecking and bright.

***

It’s the steaming mug of coffee on his office that finds to trigger his insides and his burning anger. That and the small post-it note on the cup that make everything worse than it actually is; ‘Are we still friends?’.

Jongin most likely has noticed his glares directed at him. Not that Baekhyun tends to hide them in any way. Neither has spoken of that night they’d come much closer than expected, and no one knows of it except the two of them (mostly because Baekhyun is afraid Jongdae will blame him for what happened). Which makes everything all the way easier to forget of it.

But Baekhyun can’t wipe it off his mind because it is enticing, it is new and forbidden and wrong, but also right, and it makes him look at Jongin with eyes full of fascination when he knows no one will notice. It is that taste of the illegal that makes him ask for more and although it kind of ticks his nerves, he also wants more.

So he isn’t that surprised when Jongin smirks as soon as he enters his office. Jongin’s office is not very personalized yet, unlike Baekhyun’s. But he also had years to make it that way. However, he has placed a couple decorations here and there, some small figurines and paintings that add a somewhat modern look to his workplace. Baekhyun notices almost immediately the collection of books Jongin has placed for some reason on some shelves. He isn’t sure where Jongin finds time to read anything except paperwork here but he gently reminds himself that Jongin is perfect, so he probably has time for everything.

Baekhyun walks towards the desk, placing down a mug of steaming coffee in front of Jongin, who firstly notices there’s a post-it attached to it, and then looks up, eyes shining that challenge that makes Baekhyun both angry and weak at his knees.

The hand-writing on the post-it is neat and almost resembles calligraphy, and reads; “You’re aware I’m engaged, right?”

And the smirk on Jongin’s face plays with Baekhyun’s heart-strings as his hand takes hold of the note and plays with its edges.

“Are you?”

Then Jongin rolls the post-it into a thin line and places it around his ring finger, curling it around nicely before his eyes look straight into Baekhyun’s.

The point was made, and Baekhyun curls his fingers in again, but the ring is not there.

He doesn’t want to seem burned, but he can’t hide the fact that Jongin is right.

Is _he_ aware of it?

***

It’s the third time Baekhyun has to work overtime the past two months with Jongin. He is not fond of it, but he isn’t exactly complaining either.

Not when he is leaning over the desk and pointing on some parts of the paper in his hand with his stylus, all while Jongin’s eyes are bearing into his form. The feeling is familiar, the same stare Jongin would send his way during meetings, just never this intense. And although Baekhyun is aware of the younger undressing him with his eyes, he tries to ignore it. But his hands get shaky, and his cheeks most likely pick up the color of red, and his ears are buzzing because his heart beats way too fast across his whole body. So he tries to hide a smile by turning his head away, because he really shouldn’t be reacting this way, but the giddy feeling does not leave him.

“You didn’t call your fiancé,” Jongin comments and Baekhyun stills for a little. He has somehow forgotten and as much as the guilt weights on him, he won’t admit it to anyone, and especially the reason of his inattention.

“I sent him a message an hour ago,” Baekhyun argues and then points harsher the stylus on against the paper. “Keep your mind on task.”

“Frankly, I can’t,” Jongin sighs and Baekhyun’s lips part a bit as he stares strongly. “My mind is too occupied at the moment so I can’t really focus on anything except the last time we were alone.”

Baekhyun can already feel his throat go dry and his eyes follow Jongin’s form as he stands up slowly from his leather chair and circles around the office desk. A chill runs down his spine just when a hand is placed on his shoulder, fingertips barely reaching for his nape’s skin over the jacket’s collar. Baekhyun feels as if he should be disgusted with himself for allowing this treatment, especially after talking about his fiancé. But he doesn’t, and it’s more of he doesn’t _want_ to. He doesn’t want to slap away Jongin’s hand, or stop his temperature raising, he doesn’t want it to stop because he wants it more than he wants to play safe and nice.

Who made the rules, anyways? Baekhyun never agreed to them.

Jongin’s sharp face features cut all of Baekhyun thinking and he slowly stands up, which grants him a pleased smirk. It’s the second time Baekhyun is aware of how close they are, and how he’s a little shorter than Jongin, but feels even smaller under him. Jongin’s fingers slowly curl around his tie, tugging it and he kisses him.

Baekhyun should really not be kissing back—he knows it. But he does, and he gasps because Jongin tugs his tie more, and their lips clash hard. Jongin’s tongue is skilled to say the least, and Baekhyun almost melts as it invades his mouth like he owns it. Baekhyun can feel Jongin’s hands touch his body, and just like last time, his skin burns even if his suit’s layers protect him.

Jongin pushes him back a bit and the chair pokes into his thigh and ass as Jongin pulls the untucks his shirt and his hand makes it under the cloth. It’s cold, and Baekhyun gasps again but helps on Jongin’s collar fast when he feels fingers touch his left nipple. He can feel Jongin’s crotch against his abdomen and that only puts his mind in over-work. The burning sensation has made everything a mess of his insides, and he tries to yell a “stop!” but it never comes. Because instead, he moans and Jongin’s there to swallow up every single sound he lets out.

Baekhyun’s never been proud of being vocal during sex, unlike what Chanyeol told him. So the sense of self-consciousness starts creeping up on him and he almost feels like a virgin in front of Jongin. The fact that they are still in the office building with the risk of being heard by some janitor doesn’t help. It only adds up to the excitement and the secretiveness. Which it shouldn’t, but Baekhyun’s liking it a lot already.

Everything happens fast, and with a surprised yelp and two arms snaking around him, Baekhyun’s taken and practically thrown on top of Jongin’s office. He makes himself comfortable because this was not planned out well, and he could feel some pens digging into his back and ass. Jongin only tugs on his shirt and slowly starts releasing one button after the other, eyes practically gulping down Baekhyun as more and more of his skin came to view. Baekhyun feels the flush run up his cheeks and he squirms under the other’s eyes, feeling a little over-exposed.

“So beautiful,” Jongin breaths out as he leans over Baekhyun and the latter feels mesmerized. There’s this lustful flash across Jongin’s eyes that makes all of Baekhyun’s defenses collapse and maybe his fingers tremble a bit in anticipation. Jongin’s finger pinches his nipple and Baekhyun hisses as Jongin’s breath ghosts over his neck’s skin; “I wonder what other sounds that pretty mouth of yours can make.” Baekhyun whimpers slightly when Jongin licks down his skin and his hand slides lower under fingers wrap around his belt.

And then Jongin starts trailing kisses across his body, and the closer he went to Baekhyun’s belt, the longer his lips came into contact with his skin. Baekhyun gasps under Jongin’s eyes and he feels defenseless at this state. Jongin has a strong influence on his body and as much as Baekhyun hates to admit it, he longs for more.

It’s then that Jongin undoes his belt that his hand flies out and grabs on him. The perk of Jongin’s eyebrow almost teases him and it makes him feel even hotter. With a swift move, Jongin pulls him towards the edge of the desk and Baekhyun falls speechless at the feeling of Jongin’s crotch just between his ass cheeks.

Jongin leans close, his hands grabbing once again on Baekhyun’s belt and undoes it and his pants. “Don’t act like you don’t want it.”

At that point Baekhyun doesn’t even believe he needs any persuasion, so he helps Jongin undress him, and he wants to also believe that his embarrassment does not show as much as he thinks it does. His pants slid down his thighs and the fabric is replaced with cold fingertips that pull his lips apart. Jongin’s eyes are strong on his naked form and Baekhyun just pulls Jongin’s tie and slaps their lips into a hot kiss because he can’t stand being stared like that. It’s embarrassing, how Jongin is only the second person who has seen him like this.

Jongin’s hand cups his cock and Baekhyun shivers at the cold sensation. He can feel nails scrapping against the sensitive skin, and he’s surprised with himself how it turns him on more. Jongin’s hands are large, touch anything they can reach, but come back to the spots Baekhyun moans the sweetest. It’s at that point when Baekhyun gives in and his hand slowly makes it’s way for Jongin’s belt and with trembling fingers undoes it. Jongin notices, and he smirks, which plays with Baekhyun nerves.

Jongin lets a hiss when Baekhyun’s fingers get in contact with his half-hard cock and this time, Baekhyun enjoys it a little too much and smirks. His hand appears to be small on Jongin, but he takes advantage of it and only plays with the head, slipping his fingers on and around the opening which has Jongin panting. The satisfaction Baekhyun feels makes him tease more only to be cut short when Jongin hisses a curse and pulls his hand out of his pants, to Baekhyun’s disappointment.

Jongin’s fingers circle Baekhyun’s hole and the elder almost yelps in surprise because Jongin’s movements have picked up their speed. He only leans back on his elbows and licks his lips as he watches closely as Jongin works over him, and he parts his lips in a silent gasp as Jongin’s finger enters him. His muscles tense and it seems to please Jongin because he starts working the finger in and out of him whilst his eyes are pinned on Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun can feel himself flush but refuses to make a sound, so he only bites down hard on his lip and stares back. It’s a couple minutes later that Baekhyun’s legs are spread out and he lets an muffled scream because Jongin has covered his mouth with one hand whilst pumping three fingers into him in an angle that brought shivers down Baekhyun’s whole body.

Jongin smirks and pulls back his hand, stroking his own shaft and he allows Baekhyun to take some breaths and calm down. He’s not given enough time to come down from his high as Jongin’s already poking him with his dick and he leans back, spreading his legs some more and allowing Jongin in slowly. It’s nerve-wrecking, to go so slow, but Baekhyun tries to control himself and wait as he adjusts and Jongin slowly starts jerking into him with fluid rolls of his hips.

Skin against skin and Jongin leans down to suck on his neck, his breath so hot. Baekhyun’s brain is in over-drive and he tries to keep quiet, knowing that if someone walked on them now, there’d be no way for them to redeem themselves. He clenches his muscles around Jongin and the hiss he hears in response makes his whole body jerk.

Jongin’s grip on Baekhyun’s hips will most likely leave bruises by the morning but the elder doesn’t really care about it. He only curves his back as Jongin’s hand makes it way to his cock and starts pumping it in sync with fucking him, and Baekhyun leaves sounds that most likely than not bring a red hue across his cheeks and neck. Before he lets another moan, Jongin’s fingers are in his mouth, grabbing on his lower jaw and Baekhyun bites down on them.

“Be quiet,” Jongin barely breaths out and Baekhyun bites harder down on his fingers when he hits him deep and hard. His whole body arches from the desk and his legs wrap around Jongin, and Baekhyun can feel his chest ache from the heavy panting. A couple tears roll his cheek as Jongin shows no remorse and fucks him hard, not long after Baekhyun letting a muffled scream and shooting his cum on Jongin’s hand and dress shirt. Baekhyun tries to catch his breath, frozen and his whole body clenching as Jongin cums inside him, its warmth making everything hotter.

Jongin removes his fingers from Baekhyun’s mouth, his eyes heavy-hooded as he caresses his cheek. Baekhyun’s too tired, too done to feel any embarrassment now for the state he’s in; naked on the desk, legs wipe open, cock in his ass and his cum covering his abdomen and stomach along with the sweat.

Baekhyun’s legs tremble when Jongin pulls out and quickly takes the condom he sometime put on and Baekhyun was too busy to notice. His brain is still too misty so he lays there until he can comprehend what exactly happened and where he is. He slowly sits up after a couple minutes and finds Jongin cleaning himself with some napkins. Baekhyun almost smiles at him when Jongin tosses him the napkin box without a second look.

It’s then that he realizes that this was really a onetime thing, and that it meant nothing.

Like it should, Baekhyun thinks. No more screwing around.

He’s an engaged man, after all.

***

Chanyeol does not appreciate how Baekhyun has started keeping distance from him.

He’ll come back home late in the evening, slurp down the food and call it a night. He always claims he’s too tired and will dismiss anything more than a simple kiss from Chanyeol that has the other spend the nights in the living room watching TV only for the sake of giving the other some space, which he clearly is in need of.

“You’re always so tired,” Chanyeol comments one evening as they eat dinner, his eyes watching as Baekhyun pulls a bit on his tie to loosen it around his neck followed by a couple buttons of his dress shirt. It’s when his eyes catch a bruised mark on the elder’s collarbone that he lowers his spoon back into the bowl. “What’s on your neck?”

Baekhyun hides his panic well, if the way Chanyeol doesn’t ask more questions is something to go by. He only touches it subconsciously and his mind races as he tries to think of anything. “I burned myself with the straightener.”

“It doesn’t look like a burn,” Chanyeol adds and Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows.

“Do you not believe me, Chanyeol?” The accusation in his words makes the other flinch a bit under his stare and Chanyeol quickly shakes his head.

“Of course I do!”

Then, Baekhyun stretches his hand out to cup it over Chanyeol’s. “Then no need to worry.”

Next morning Baekhyun makes sure to keep it on his mind, and starts carrying around a small tube of makeup in his work bag.

Jongin’s attitude doesn’t really change and he’s still acting the same towards everyone, and even Baekhyun. It’s as if whatever happened between them, hadn’t happen. It’s as if they hadn’t fucked on his office and on the files they were supposed to be reviewing instead. It’s only when Baekhyun looks at him in silent question that Jongin returns it with a smirk and the same lustful stare he stared Baekhyun down with when he lay half-naked. And it also makes his cheeks redden, so Baekhyun hides his face from him although he’s sure the other noticed it anyway. After all, he is always kind of frozen under Jongin’s eyes.

And Jongdae just happens to walk up on him on the roof when he’s inhaling nicotine. The younger stretches his hand out without a word and Baekhyun offers him his pack of cigarettes, and exchanges it later for a lighter. It’s just the two of them and both stare at the building across the street so many floors below. It’s a simple, comfortable silence and Baekhyun likes it a lot more than usual, since life’s been quite a mess lately for him, the peace is much appreciated.

Or more so, his insides, rather than life itself.

“Did you and Jongin finally befriended each other?”

Baekhyun nods his head and Jongdae pats his shoulder like he likes to do. “See? He’s not a threat to you or your job.”

“Yeah, we spend more time together now that we work on the same stuff,” Baekhyun says and white smoke comes out of his mouth with every word. Cigarettes are most likely the only things that keep him sane at this moment.

“Oh, I heard you’ll be traveling to Tokyo for an event with him.” Jongdae makes a grimace; “Sucks to be you.”

“Sucks to be Chanyeol, actually,” Baekhyun sighs tiredly. “He had planned so much for Christmas and it turned out that I won’t be there.”

“It’s a shame it’s your first Christmas as an engaged couple as well.”

Baekhyun throws the cigarette bud on the rooftop and steps on it a little too harshly. Engaged and the ring is still not on his finger when he is without Chanyeol. It is still somewhere in his suit jacket, or pants pocket or his work bag, or in his car. He doesn’t know exactly, he only knows that right now, it is not where it should be.

Engaged and dirtied as well. With marks of another man boring into his flesh, and his mind full of guilty thoughts of another man’s body. With a secret that if treated wrongly would ruin everything.

It’s a hard slap, the one Jongdae’s words hit him with. A very hard one. It’s a reality check-point he has to go through to re-consider his future options. And maybe he shouldn’t continue this now that he still has the chance to turn around and run, and never recall any of what happened. He still has this chance, and he kind of blows everything up when the last of his co-workers leave and he slips into Jongin’s office without knocking.

He’s carrying all of his confidence and harshness he could master the whole afternoon, only to falter a bit when Jongin looks at him in question.

“What are you doing here?” he asks casually as he gathers the last of his files and his laptop, placing them neatly in his bag.

“I want to talk to you,” Baekhyun approaches the younger male, his eyes cautiously watching his movements. When he feels he has Jongin’s attention, he starts; “Whatever happened between us was a onetime thing. It’s not going to happen again and we should never talk about it to anyone. Just let it die.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Baekhyun’s glare made Jongin smirk and it rubs Baekhyun the wrong way.

“What do you mean, Jongin?” he talks through his teeth now, but the other doesn’t seem to be affected the least.

“I mean what I mean, Baekie. It’s rich coming from someone who lives a double life.” Jongin then leans forward, his hands resting on the desk as he smirks. “Are you really engaged, or do you trying to abandon the ship without your _fiancé_ knowing?”

“That’s none of your business,” Baekhyun hisses and Jongin seems satisfied.

He takes a hold of his bag, circling his desk and pausing to stand in front of the smaller male. Then, he leans closer to his face. “Either way, I don’t really care. Do as you please. Give me a call when you need to… _hang out_.” He slips a card into Baekhyun’s palm, a wink and he’s already out the door.

Baekhyun glares at the card in his hand, a nice font reading Jongin’s name, contact information and business hours. It was neatly made, and it pisses Baekhyun more the more he stares at it. He tightens his fist and goes to throw it away only to stop mid-way and sigh in defeat. Then, he just puts it in his pants pocket.

He’ll hate himself for doing it later, but now, he thinks he should keep it.

No reason, really.


	2. Setting Fires to keep You Warm

Baekhyun gets two days off before his mayor trip to Tokyo so he spends them with Chanyeol at their little cozy home. He’s finally able to relax a bit now that more than a week passed and he and Jongin had minimal interactions. His mind is clearer, his heart lighter, and he enjoys cleaning around their apartment for tomorrow. Chanyeol said Sehun, Luhan and Minseok will come for Christmas Eve so the place has to be pretty and welcoming. It isn’t the first time the three of them come over, since Baekhyun has told Chanyeol a couple times to call them over for dinner some weekend nights. They are great company, from what he’s gathered from the stories Chanyeol will often share because Sehun did something embarrassing again, Luhan slipped somewhere, or Minseok told yet another customer off.

Baekhyun has always been a bit jealous of Chanyeol’s work, but he also knows that he would never be able to survive such a job. He wasn’t fit to serve people. He was to persuade them on terms that were unfair to them, and sell services they didn’t know they needed. That’s what Baekhyun knows; to fool people, mislead them, change their opinions with mischievous ways, get what he wants from them. It’s no lie almost everyone in the company side-eyes him. Not so out of disgust, more out of distrust.

But that’s what working in public relations is made for; always smiling and always playing nice, even when the motives are ill-natured. So it kind of bothered him when Jongin waltzed in his routine and proved to be better at deceiving people. It hurt Baekhyun’s pride. And it still kind of does.

Chanyeol is the messy one in this relationship—Baekhyun got to know that a long, long while ago. It was he who was constantly moving furniture around because he liked that one there, he who did most of the house chores and he who was the perfectionist, so much so that he’d often swipe twice the whole apartment because he felt like he’d missed a spot. It’s only laundry and cooking on his fiancé, and even that because Baekhyun never has time for that. So when Chanyeol walked out of the bathroom with a piece of crumbled paper in his hand after doing laundry, Baekhyun stopped fluffing up the pillow he held on.

“I found your co-worker’s card in your pants.” Baekhyun watches with slight panic in his eyes as Chanyeol reads the messed up contact card. “Public relations? I didn’t know you had a co-worker in your specialty.”

“He’s new. He came like, less than two months ago.”

“So you split work now?”

“More like go through files twice and discuss any issues or faults in them,” Baekhyun mentally winces at the way Chanyeol’s eyes don’t leave the card. “Just to know we haven’t overlooked anything.”

“This is why you’ve done overtime?” Now, Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun and something breaks in each of their chests. “They hired another person for you to work overtime?”

“It wasn’t just me. We were both held back.”

“Oh…” Chanyeol breathes out and offers the card to Baekhyun. “Here, in case you need it later on.”

Baekhyun almost groans as the other walks off into their bedroom. He quickly follows but only has the door slam into his face. “Chanyeol, don’t be like this!” he enters the room after him and at this point, he is only glad how they don’t have a lock there, and how they never actually bothered to think of it before. “It’s not bad to have a damn card of your co-worker’s!”

Chanyeol only glares at him before pulling his shirt off and getting into his sleep-wear. It’s a known fact Chanyeol hates it when Baekhyun raises his voice at him.

So, he takes a breath to calm down, and starts over. “I didn’t have my phone out and he was in a hurry to leave. So he just gave me the card and we parted ways. I haven’t even called him yet for any matter.”

“ _Yet_ ,” Chanyeol repeats and Baekhyun really feels like he’s going to rip his hair out.

“Chanyeol, what is the problem here?” he tries in defeat and Chanyeol stills for a short while. His eyes are piercing into Baekhyun’s face, almost as if he’s looking for something and wishes to not find it there.

“Is he going to Tokyo as well?”

It feels like it’s a trick question and Baekhyun sweats a bit. He worries that he’ll choose the wrong answer, as if he’s being tested or walking on glass.

“Yes.”

Chanyeol purses his lips together into a thin line, before relaxing and turning to the closet. He opens a wing and pulls a spare blanket before throwing it at Baekhyun, who barely catches it. “Take your suitcase as well. You’re sleeping on the couch.”

And Baekhyun opens and closes his mouth in surprise but Chanyeol pays no attention. He only lays in bed and faces away from him. So Baekhyun groans lightly and takes both his duffel bag and the blanket and out he goes. He knows it’s futile in talking with Chanyeol now that he’s this upset. And he’d rather not pester the other when at this state because it could end up much worse. Morning would come and it’d be better, and he’ll try his best to make up whatever he said wrong after dawn. Only that he’ll have to wait two days for that. He’s supposed to be at the airport pretty early tomorrow so he doubts he’ll see any of Chanyeol before he has to leave. And it kind of pains him because this problem will have to wait.

It’s when he sits on the couch with the blanket under his arm that his mind goes overdrive and suddenly he feels like he’s walking on glass again, or sitting on needles. He connects the dots and Chanyeol’s questions and somehow it slowly starts making sense, and Baekhyun really wishes it’s not the case, because if it is, Chanyeol knows, and if Chanyeol knows, god forbid his poor ass.

He buries his head in his hands, and he wants to scream in frustration because now his brain can’t calm down and his heart is beating way too fast. If Chanyeol suspects him, what’ll be left of their engagement? Of their relationship?

But of course, who would be able to burn themselves on the collarbone with a damn hair straightener? Baekhyun really wishes he could have made up a better lie to his fiancé, but he hadn’t. And all these nights he worked overtime, and how he’d never mentioned of Jongin, and how he’s distanced himself from Chanyeol. How he’s avoided many times in getting physical with him. And how carrying a business card in his pants was the cherry on top of it all.

It didn’t take an idiot, and Chanyeol was surely not one.

Baekhyun only lays on the couch, his eyes piercing the ceiling as he prepares himself for a long, sleepless and restless night. It kind of annoys him; being unable to lie to Chanyeol, being unable to cover himself, to use all what his job required on him. He knows that that is because of their relationship and how Chanyeol was that one special person, but at this moment, he can’t but wish having the guts to actually do it. If he could, he wouldn’t be in this situation now.

It irritates him more and more as he thinks about it.

It is at six that he finally fell asleep from over-wearing his mind, only to wake up an hour later because his phone rang the alarm he set last night. He can already feel the exhaustion in his bones but he soothes himself with the promise of sleeping in the airplane. After readying himself, he peaks into their bedroom to find Chanyeol’s form sound asleep. He wants to jump on the bed and kiss all of Chanyeol’s worries away, but he knows his fiancé won’t appreciate it. So he opts to leave a small note on the nightstand by Chanyeol’s side of the bed with a light ‘good morning’, a casual ‘I’ll call you when I land’, and a small ‘I love you, your Baekie’.

The ride to the airport is short and his pace falters a bit when he sees Jongin standing by the check-ins. Baekhyun only lowers his head a bit and follows the other’s steps without as much as looking at him, so Jongin doesn’t talk to him either. It isn’t an awkward silence since it was so early and both are still sleepy, so they both over-look it. It doesn’t take long until they board the plane and as they settle down side-by-side, Baekhyun turns his head to face the window. At this point, he’s just glad he has his earbuds and neck pillow with him.

He’s shaken into reality a couple hours later by a just as sleepy Jongin. The music has stopped in his ears and he hears his co-worker’s muffled voice coming through and telling him they have arrived to Japan. Baekhyun’s not very fond with how it’s just the two of them in a different country and how they also have to count on each other because of work matters. Sure, Baekhyun knows Japanese, but it’s not much so anything beyond asking directions and introducing himself, he’s kind of flopped. So he has to lean on Jongin’s perfected Japanese to translate anything else, and it ticks him off more as the seconds pass and he watches the other laugh and talk with the lady behind the reception at the hotel they’ll be staying at tonight and tomorrow.

“Took you long enough,” Baekhyun mumbles under his breath as they enter the elevator and Jongin sends him a look while pressing their floor’s button.

“Why are you so salty?”

“No reason.” Baekhyun is annoyed, and he doesn’t put any effort in hiding it, so Jongin just ignores him.

The hotel room their boss has booked for them is on the small end but decent enough, with two nice beds placed on either side of the room and a big dresser in between. The tv is small, and the fridge as well, but Baekhyun doesn’t expect much from a tourist hotel. The bathroom is nice however, and he already sees himself relaxing in the bathtub later on.

“Well,” Jongin starts, putting his duffel bag down by one bed. “It’s better than I expected.”

“At least we have air-conditioning,” Baekhyun mumbles as he grabs on the remote control.

“I don’t think we’ll need it if we just sleep in one bed.” The wink Jongin sent him makes Baekhyun twitch a bit, but he switches on the heat anyway.

“We’re here for work, Jongin” he softly says, and Jongin shrugs his shoulders before lying on the bed and pulling his laptop out of his bag.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun.”

Baekhyun ignores the anticipation and excitement that suddenly mess his insides, and sits on the other bed. He pulls out his phone and stares at the screen. He promised he’d call Chanyeol as soon as he landed, but truthfully, he didn’t. And it’s not like he couldn’t find some time to do so, he just avoided it. He doesn’t know what to say and is afraid that whatever he does say, can be picked up the wrong way. So he skips talking and just types in a simple text of ‘I just entered the hotel’ and ‘I miss you already’.

It’s not a lie per se. He does miss Chanyeol, and the home-sickness already slapped him the moment he stepped on Japanese soil. But he knows that Chanyeol needs some time off of him, and Baekhyun wants to hope that his co-workers will be enough to lighten him up. Because he’s almost sure his text will go unnoticed.

 “We can go sight-seeing,” Jongin says from where he sits and Baekhyun snaps to look up at him from his phone screen. “I can google some interesting places that aren’t too far from here.”

He glances down at the screen once more, with no hint of any reply from Chanyeol, and looks back at Jongin. He only forces a small smile; “Sounds good to me”.

The next two minutes it’s pretty quiet and the only sound that can be heard is Jongin’s fingers pressing down on his laptop’s keyboard. Until he finds a couple places they can visit and he sends the directions to his phone before closing the laptop’s lid and jumping on his feet.

“Let’s go!”

Baekhyun hesitates a bit, his eyes snapping between his cell phone screen and Jongin’s bright smile. He’s not really feeling it but then Jongin stretches out his hand for him to take, and he does. And a smile grows on his face.

There’s no one to witness them here, no one knows them, no one cares enough to notice them. There’s this freedom Baekhyun knows he won’t ever be able to experience when they return to South Korea. So he just lets himself go with the flow, and lets Jongin lead him across the streets and in different directions while talking about the smallest things.

To his surprise, Baekhyun finds himself enjoying Jongin’s company much more than what he’d firstly expected.

***

The event takes place in a well-known luxurious hotel and the room that hosts it is big. Despite the many years he’s spent attending these kinds of places, Baekhyun still feels out of place and a bit intimidated even. Jongin, on the other hand, seems to blend nicely with the attendees, with his slicked back black hair and matching tuxedo.

Baekhyun has to remind himself a couple times to stop staring at his coworker. So he’s kind of relieved when he spots the man who hosted the whole event. He’s fast to approach, his heels clacking on the marble floor and he hears Jongin following him closely behind so they don’t lose one another in the crowd.

“Ah, Byun Baekhyun, am I right?” the man smiles warmly and Baekhyun’s half surprised he remembers his name. It’s been over six months since the man visited their company in Korea where they were also introduced. Baekhyun just assumes that being a businessman takes great memory.

“Yes, sir,” Baekhyun smiles back with all of his charm. “Very beautiful event that you host.”

“Thank you, mister Byun.” The man eyes Jongin then, and Baekhyun opens his mouth to introduce him, only to be cut off by Jongin himself.

“I’m Kim Jongin, co-worker of Baekhyun. I’ve been in the same department for a couple months.” The smile Jongin shows makes Baekhyun gape and stare with slightly wide eyes, almost mesmerized. “It’s my pleasure to meet a man like you, sir.”

Baekhyun knows this event is nothing but a way for him to put out the company and meet as many people he can, and hopefully exchange contact information. But as the night progresses, he finds Jongin to ace the job. Everyone seems to open up to him, and Baekhyun stands by his side, slipping some words here and there all the while watching him. Jongin’s way of words, his charming smiles and respectful speech makes Baekhyun bite on his lip because the man again appears to be perfectly-made. And as much as Baekhyun admires him for his well-done work, he’s also jealous.

It’s an hour later that Baekhyun parts himself from Jongin and just slips to stand by the drink bar. He hasn’t even drunk any alcohol yet, and that’s because he and Jongin had been circling around being introduced to all kinds of businessmen and women alike by the host himself. He’s not even in the mood to drink, but he knows that carrying around a colorful cocktail would make him look fancy so he orders one nonetheless.

“Already tired?”

Baekhyun looks up in surprise at the familiar voice and a smile etches on his face immediately. “Yixing?”

The man’s clad in a light grey tuxedo, his blonde hair styled nicely and a flamboyant drink in his hand. He’s a bit taller than him, just like Baekhyun remembered him to be. And a little bit on the muscled side, from what he can notice.

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun just wants to hug him, but he opts for a manly handshake because he has to keep up a front here. Yixing used to study business in the same university as him, but he has always been well-off due to his heritage, so he aimed far and wide and eventually landed in Japan. From what Baekhyun remembers of their last chat three years ago, Yixing had plans of opening a company just in his name. Back then, he didn’t know what it’d be about, since they were still so young and had many outcomes of their future. It’s three years later that Baekhyun gets to know that Yixing never actually started his own company, but rather extended his family’s name in Japan. Yixing also surprises him that he’d like to own a magazine, sometime, as well, and Baekhyun feels kind of intimidated by his plans.

Yixing wants to achieve so much, and Baekhyun’s just settled down with the first firm that took him in after university. He was comfortable with what he had, or rather, never strived for more.

“Please tell me you’re still with Chanyun,” Yixing tells almost jokingly and it kind of picks at Baekhyun’s insides.

“Yes, and it’s Chan _yeol_.”

“Same guy,” Yixing dismisses him and takes a sip of his drink. “How come you are here on Christmas Eve?”

“I’m in charge of public relations in a company so I had to show up here.”

“Public relations do suit you,” Yixing leans one elbow on the bar counter, a smirk on his handsome face. “You’ve always been chatty and out-going.”

“Yeah… I guess,” Baekhyun adds and then he hears Jongin approach, a hand sliding by his side and Baekhyun’s suddenly too flustered to notice Jongin did it to wave at the barman. Yixing’s eyes are piercing and Baekhyun quickly scoots away from his co-worker. Jongin doesn’t even seem to notice him being there and that kind of sends relieve down his spine. Yixing’s stare, however, is something between disbelief and interest.

Almost too comically, he snorts; “Chanyeol, huh?”

And Baekhyun grits his teeth just before emptying his cocktail on Yixing’s shoes.

The taxi ride to the hotel is quite silent since both of them are speechless from what happened at the event. Jongin apologized in Baekhyun’s place while pulling the glaring man away from him. There weren’t many looks directed at them since Baekhyun did it so stealthily, but Jongin still excused themselves and bid farewell to the host himself before almost running out the door. Baekhyun hasn’t said a word, he only plops on his bed and brings his phone out to check for any message when they reach their hotel room; none. It feels like another weight was placed on his shoulders and he hunches his back in exhaustion.

“Do you want some?” Jongin asks from the shelf a couple wine bottles sat. As soon as he entered the room, he went straight to it and he’s been contemplating which one he should open. Baekhyun’s sure it’s not a good thing to mix alcohol with them being alone somewhere no one would see them. Especially when he feels this down. But then again, doesn’t feeling down justify his interest in wines?

He merely nods and when Jongin asks if he has any preference, he shrugs his shoulders. “As long as the price is cheap.”

Jongin glances at the bottles again and takes the one he’s been eyeing until then. Baekhyun feels a bit uncomfortable because he doesn’t check the prices. He’s pretty sure Jongin gets the same paycheck as him, and that amount does not allow you to spend freely on overpriced wines. His eyes watch as Jongin takes two glasses and then comes to place them on one nightstand. Baekhyun has to admit that seeing a man open a wine bottle expertly, and pour in his glass adds to his attractiveness.

It’s an hour later that Baekhyun is sitting on the floor with his back against his bed, legs sprawled in front of him. Jongin is opposite of him, more or less in the same position and they stare at each other. Their wine glasses are on the floor, the bottle standing within both of their reach, half of it gone already. It’s the sweetness of a good wine brand that has made Baekhyun’s cheeks flush and sometime during this hour, he’s loosened his tie much like Jongin. The air conditioning is still going strong and although both of them felt hot from the alcohol, neither wanted to stand up and turn it off.

It is nice on the floor, where they drink and talk and Baekhyun has gotten to know some of Jongin’s background by now. From some childish high school stories to how he ended up working in the same company as Baekhyun. And Baekhyun has also shared his part of the story, some bits of his life here and there, until the point they met. They share a couple laughs and Baekhyun feels much calmer, at least now that he’s gotten to know Jongin more, he’s relieved. Because as perfect as he feared Jongin to be, he also has his own sets of worries and traits that made him human.

“And that’s why I haven’t gotten a text yet,” Baekhyun groans as he sends a look at his phone again. “He probably still hates me.”

“Maybe this whole marriage isn’t your thing,” Jongin mumbles but Baekhyun keeps glaring at the phone’s screen. All those messages he has sent the past hour staring back at him. “Maybe you’re meant to still have fun. You’re too young to think of marriage either way. You’re not even wearing the ring again.”

Baekhyun smiles a broken smile and looks at this hand now. He’s not even sure he took it with him to Japan at this point. Because he didn’t put it on that morning and he doesn’t recall putting it somewhere. “I’m screwed,” he slurs and doesn’t elaborate when Jongin looks at him quizzically. If Chanyeol finds it, he might as well stay in Japan because he’ll have no one to return home to.

“It’s pretty pathetic,” Baekhyun starts, “that we try to find solace in each other. We barely know each other.”

Jongin doesn’t reply, he only looks at him with piercing eyes.

As much as Baekhyun loves his job, he hates these events of pretend. So he downs the rest of the wine and throws his head back on the bed, closing his eyes. At this point, he doesn’t even know if he wants to hurry with everything and go home to Chanyeol, or for these two days to never end. And it pains him a lot as he realizes that he is in this position.

It’s when he feels light kisses on his neck that he comes back from his thoughts and he lets a small content sigh.

 “Are we really sleeping in separate beds, though?” Jongin raises an eyebrow at him and Baekhyun sighs as he places his phone on the night stand, before gazing Jongin’s way with a challenge in his eyes.

“Would be stupid to miss out such an opportunity, wouldn’t it be?”

It’s the freedom of being in a different country that makes Baekhyun open up more. Relax some and forget a bit of home. Act like he’s somewhere different where other rules apply and there’s no one to catch him or scold him. Where he doesn’t need to hide from anyone or anything. Where there’s no Chanyeol to worry about.

Baekhyun should have gotten used to Jongin’s lips and tongue by now, yet he still sighs and gasps in surprise. Their hands start roaming and the alcohol makes them rush a bit because why not? There’s only this need and lust between them and Baekhyun drowns himself in moans when Jongin sucks on his lower lip and his hand travels under his shirt. He’s a bit surprised it’s not as cold as he expected, but he enjoys the touch either way.

It’s intoxicating, the smell of Jongin now that his senses are a bit too faded, his movements a bit too needy, his body a bit too heated. Everything turns into a blur and Baekhyun’s brain registers some things here and there, a kiss, a touch, flesh against flesh, some fucking. He’s in and out of the feeling and the wine he drank does not let him enjoy it fully so he’s a bit dizzy when his phone rings.

Baekhyun pushes Jongin away for a split second and grabs it, the caller ID flashing so bright in the darkness. He doesn’t hesitate and answers it, his breath a bit rugged and he turns with his back at Jongin. Baekhyun can feel Jongin’s hands still roam on his naked body but he tries to swat them away, suddenly kicked sober as he breathes out a small “Chanyeol?”.

He hears shuffling on the other end and before his fiancé can speak, Baekhyun gasps because Jongin’s hand’s around his half-hard cock now.

 “Chan… yeol?” Baekhyun tries again, his voice un-steady but Jongin doesn’t pull his hand away as much as he tries to push him off.

“Hang up and come here.” Jongin’s whisper is low, lustful, and a chill runs down Baekhyun’s back. Half because Jongin’s hand is doing magic but also because he’s almost one hundred percent sure Chanyeol could hear Jongin talking over the phone. He calls for him again but the only answer he gets is a deadline.

So he calls Chanyeol and receives a message that he switched his phone off.

“Oh no, oh no no no…” he mumbles as he swats Jongin away and stands from the bed, naked and in the middle of the room only to try calling again. But Chanyeol obviously wants nothing to do with him and it pains him to realize it as he stares at his phone screen. He’s not even sure how he’s supposed to react to this. To Chanyeol finding out, to having let this go so far, to hurting Chanyeol when he has never wanted that. Half of his heart says he should just wait it out and work on some lie to feed Chanyeol once he returns home. The other half just wants to blame everything on Jongin. He knew Chanyeol could hear him, yet he still spoke, into the ear Baekhyun had the device again nonetheless. And now Baekhyun’s in shit and doesn’t know what to do.

Thus, he sends the phone flying across the room and it hits the wall with force, before breaking into pieces and jumping everywhere. He’s angry, and he doesn’t know what he’s madder at; himself, Jongin, or the horrible timing.

Baekhyun still puts the blame on Jongin that night and sleeps in his bed even when his co-worker tries to talk to him. He doesn’t reply, he’s too steamed to do so at the moment. Jongin’s intoxicated as well, so he gives up trying fast and falls asleep.

All the while Baekhyun stays wide awake and glaring at the ceiling.

***

The apartment is cold when Baekhyun enters it, and although it leaves a bad taste in his mouth, he’s kind of glad Chanyeol’s there. His fiancé is lying on the couch, the TV remote hanging dangerously from his hand as he dozes off with the sound of a movie playing in the background. He’s tucked himself in with a fluffy brown blanket but it’s obvious he’s still cold, by the way he’s curled in as much as the couch would allow his tall body.

Frankly, Baekhyun isn’t sure what he expected when he came back. Maybe Chanyeol sleeping in their bed, or staying up at the balcony while smoking (a habit he’s picked up because of Baekhyun). Maybe he expected an empty apartment, where Chanyeol would be too mad and would have left to somewhere and Baekhyun would have to beg for him to come back. And maybe in the best scenario, the one where Baekhyun wouldn’t have screwed up, Chanyeol would be waiting for him at the dinner table, or at the door, or at the airport. The one in which Chanyeol would tell him how much he’d missed him.

It stings Baekhyun because he knows that’d be the case had he not gone out of line.

He drops lightly the duffel bag on the floor and steps out of his shoes, takes off his coat and scarf. The Christmas tree’s colorful lights catch his eye and he notices the gifts laying underneath it. They had picked them up a couple weeks ago on their day off. They both knew what they were, but Chanyeol still insisted they should be wrapped and opened on Christmas morning. Who was Baekhyun to say no to a smiling and festive Chanyeol?

He catches something shine and he finds his ring on top of the coffee table right next to an ashtray that told of back-to-back chain smoking from the amount of buds it has. The guilt hits him more now that he realizes where exactly he forgot his ring. How must have Chanyeol reacted when he found it in the morning after their little fight? Awful, if he was to go by the number of cigarettes Chanyeol had smoked.

Baekhyun kneels in front of Chanyeol’s form, his leather-covered fingertips touch his sleeping face and the caress makes his fiancé’s eyes flutter open slowly. Chanyeol catches his hand, over the leather glove as his stare focuses on him. And then, Baekhyun smiles, because he thinks that’ll fix everything.

So, Chanyeol smiles back. But it’s the most broken smile Baekhyun has ever seen on him and the guilt rises up in his insides again. Chanyeol almost looks like he’s about to cry and Baekhyun tries to calm him down with sweet nothings, and surprisingly enough, it works. Chanyeol only holds harsher on his hand and brings it to his lips, where he kisses the wrist that’s barely visible over the end of the glove.

“Merry late Christmas,” Chanyeol whispers and Baekhyun hears something else break in him.

“Merry late Christmas to you too, Channie,” Baekhyun smiles small and leans down to kiss Chanyeol’s forehead. He’s a little bit hesitant to ask how Chanyeol spent the days alone, in fear that Chanyeol would mention the phone call, or Jongin, or anything, really. So he opts to glance at the Christmas tree and then at Chanyeol with a spark of excitement. “We should unwrap the presents.”

“Let’s see what’s inside!”

Baekhyun can see that something has changed in Chanyeol, and as much as he tries to act like nothing has happened, he knows there’s nothing he can do to erase it, or erase Chanyeol’s pain. So he moves past it, and swears himself that he’ll fix everything. He’ll make up for his wrongdoings and all the hurt he caused. He’ll do everything in his power to bring back what they had, even if he’d have to drag it himself, or cover up some truth.

And he makes so many promises, and swears so many more, and for a second he can see that pretense will be enough. But come Monday morning and when he returns to work from his vacation, he’s still not wearing his engagement ring at work.

Jongin’s embrace is pretty warm.

Baekhyun gets two days off before his mayor trip to Tokyo so he spends them with Chanyeol at their little cozy home. He’s finally able to relax a bit now that more than a week passed and he and Jongin had minimal interactions. His mind is clearer, his heart lighter, and he enjoys cleaning around their apartment for tomorrow. Chanyeol said Sehun, Luhan and Minseok will come for Christmas Eve so the place has to be pretty and welcoming. It isn’t the first time the three of them come over, since Baekhyun has told Chanyeol a couple times to call them over for dinner some weekend nights. They are great company, from what he’s gathered from the stories Chanyeol will often share because Sehun did something embarrassing again, Luhan slipped somewhere, or Minseok told yet another customer off.

Baekhyun has always been a bit jealous of Chanyeol’s work, but he also knows that he would never be able to survive such a job. He wasn’t fit to serve people. He was to persuade them on terms that were unfair to them, and sell services they didn’t know they needed. That’s what Baekhyun knows; to fool people, mislead them, change their opinions with mischievous ways, get what he wants from them. It’s no lie almost everyone in the company side-eyes him. Not so out of disgust, more out of distrust.

But that’s what working in public relations is made for; always smiling and always playing nice, even when the motives are ill-natured. So it kind of bothered him when Jongin waltzed in his routine and proved to be better at deceiving people. It hurt Baekhyun’s pride. And it still kind of does.

Chanyeol is the messy one in this relationship—Baekhyun got to know that a long, long while ago. It was he who was constantly moving furniture around because he liked that one there, he who did most of the house chores and he who was the perfectionist, so much so that he’d often swipe twice the whole apartment because he felt like he’d missed a spot. It’s only laundry and cooking on his fiancé, and even that because Baekhyun never has time for that. So when Chanyeol walked out of the bathroom with a piece of crumbled paper in his hand after doing laundry, Baekhyun stopped fluffing up the pillow he held on.

“I found your co-worker’s card in your pants.” Baekhyun watches with slight panic in his eyes as Chanyeol reads the messed up contact card. “Public relations? I didn’t know you had a co-worker in your specialty.”

“He’s new. He came like, less than two months ago.”

“So you split work now?”

“More like go through files twice and discuss any issues or faults in them,” Baekhyun mentally winces at the way Chanyeol’s eyes don’t leave the card. “Just to know we haven’t overlooked anything.”

“This is why you’ve done overtime?” Now, Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun and something breaks in each of their chests. “They hired another person for you to work overtime?”

“It wasn’t just me. We were both held back.”

“Oh…” Chanyeol breathes out and offers the card to Baekhyun. “Here, in case you need it later on.”

Baekhyun almost groans as the other walks off into their bedroom. He quickly follows but only has the door slam into his face. “Chanyeol, don’t be like this!” he enters the room after him and at this point, he is only glad how they don’t have a lock there, and how they never actually bothered to think of it before. “It’s not bad to have a damn card of your co-worker’s!”

Chanyeol only glares at him before pulling his shirt off and getting into his sleep-wear. It’s a known fact Chanyeol hates it when Baekhyun raises his voice at him.

So, he takes a breath to calm down, and starts over. “I didn’t have my phone out and he was in a hurry to leave. So he just gave me the card and we parted ways. I haven’t even called him yet for any matter.”

“ _Yet_ ,” Chanyeol repeats and Baekhyun really feels like he’s going to rip his hair out.

“Chanyeol, what is the problem here?” he tries in defeat and Chanyeol stills for a short while. His eyes are piercing into Baekhyun’s face, almost as if he’s looking for something and wishes to not find it there.

“Is he going to Tokyo as well?”

It feels like it’s a trick question and Baekhyun sweats a bit. He worries that he’ll choose the wrong answer, as if he’s being tested or walking on glass.

“Yes.”

Chanyeol purses his lips together into a thin line, before relaxing and turning to the closet. He opens a wing and pulls a spare blanket before throwing it at Baekhyun, who barely catches it. “Take your suitcase as well. You’re sleeping on the couch.”

And Baekhyun opens and closes his mouth in surprise but Chanyeol pays no attention. He only lays in bed and faces away from him. So Baekhyun groans lightly and takes both his duffel bag and the blanket and out he goes. He knows it’s futile in talking with Chanyeol now that he’s this upset. And he’d rather not pester the other when at this state because it could end up much worse. Morning would come and it’d be better, and he’ll try his best to make up whatever he said wrong after dawn. Only that he’ll have to wait two days for that. He’s supposed to be at the airport pretty early tomorrow so he doubts he’ll see any of Chanyeol before he has to leave. And it kind of pains him because this problem will have to wait.

It’s when he sits on the couch with the blanket under his arm that his mind goes overdrive and suddenly he feels like he’s walking on glass again, or sitting on needles. He connects the dots and Chanyeol’s questions and somehow it slowly starts making sense, and Baekhyun really wishes it’s not the case, because if it is, Chanyeol knows, and if Chanyeol knows, god forbid his poor ass.

He buries his head in his hands, and he wants to scream in frustration because now his brain can’t calm down and his heart is beating way too fast. If Chanyeol suspects him, what’ll be left of their engagement? Of their relationship?

But of course, who would be able to burn themselves on the collarbone with a damn hair straightener? Baekhyun really wishes he could have made up a better lie to his fiancé, but he hadn’t. And all these nights he worked overtime, and how he’d never mentioned of Jongin, and how he’s distanced himself from Chanyeol. How he’s avoided many times in getting physical with him. And how carrying a business card in his pants was the cherry on top of it all.

It didn’t take an idiot, and Chanyeol was surely not one.

Baekhyun only lays on the couch, his eyes piercing the ceiling as he prepares himself for a long, sleepless and restless night. It kind of annoys him; being unable to lie to Chanyeol, being unable to cover himself, to use all what his job required on him. He knows that that is because of their relationship and how Chanyeol was that one special person, but at this moment, he can’t but wish having the guts to actually do it. If he could, he wouldn’t be in this situation now.

It irritates him more and more as he thinks about it.

It is at six that he finally fell asleep from over-wearing his mind, only to wake up an hour later because his phone rang the alarm he set last night. He can already feel the exhaustion in his bones but he soothes himself with the promise of sleeping in the airplane. After readying himself, he peaks into their bedroom to find Chanyeol’s form sound asleep. He wants to jump on the bed and kiss all of Chanyeol’s worries away, but he knows his fiancé won’t appreciate it. So he opts to leave a small note on the nightstand by Chanyeol’s side of the bed with a light ‘good morning’, a casual ‘I’ll call you when I land’, and a small ‘I love you, your Baekie’.

The ride to the airport is short and his pace falters a bit when he sees Jongin standing by the check-ins. Baekhyun only lowers his head a bit and follows the other’s steps without as much as looking at him, so Jongin doesn’t talk to him either. It isn’t an awkward silence since it was so early and both are still sleepy, so they both over-look it. It doesn’t take long until they board the plane and as they settle down side-by-side, Baekhyun turns his head to face the window. At this point, he’s just glad he has his earbuds and neck pillow with him.

He’s shaken into reality a couple hours later by a just as sleepy Jongin. The music has stopped in his ears and he hears his co-worker’s muffled voice coming through and telling him they have arrived to Japan. Baekhyun’s not very fond with how it’s just the two of them in a different country and how they also have to count on each other because of work matters. Sure, Baekhyun knows Japanese, but it’s not much so anything beyond asking directions and introducing himself, he’s kind of flopped. So he has to lean on Jongin’s perfected Japanese to translate anything else, and it ticks him off more as the seconds pass and he watches the other laugh and talk with the lady behind the reception at the hotel they’ll be staying at tonight and tomorrow.

“Took you long enough,” Baekhyun mumbles under his breath as they enter the elevator and Jongin sends him a look while pressing their floor’s button.

“Why are you so salty?”

“No reason.” Baekhyun is annoyed, and he doesn’t put any effort in hiding it, so Jongin just ignores him.

The hotel room their boss has booked for them is on the small end but decent enough, with two nice beds placed on either side of the room and a big dresser in between. The tv is small, and the fridge as well, but Baekhyun doesn’t expect much from a tourist hotel. The bathroom is nice however, and he already sees himself relaxing in the bathtub later on.

“Well,” Jongin starts, putting his duffel bag down by one bed. “It’s better than I expected.”

“At least we have air-conditioning,” Baekhyun mumbles as he grabs on the remote control.

“I don’t think we’ll need it if we just sleep in one bed.” The wink Jongin sent him makes Baekhyun twitch a bit, but he switches on the heat anyway.

“We’re here for work, Jongin” he softly says, and Jongin shrugs his shoulders before lying on the bed and pulling his laptop out of his bag.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun.”

Baekhyun ignores the anticipation and excitement that suddenly mess his insides, and sits on the other bed. He pulls out his phone and stares at the screen. He promised he’d call Chanyeol as soon as he landed, but truthfully, he didn’t. And it’s not like he couldn’t find some time to do so, he just avoided it. He doesn’t know what to say and is afraid that whatever he does say, can be picked up the wrong way. So he skips talking and just types in a simple text of ‘I just entered the hotel’ and ‘I miss you already’.

It’s not a lie per se. He does miss Chanyeol, and the home-sickness already slapped him the moment he stepped on Japanese soil. But he knows that Chanyeol needs some time off of him, and Baekhyun wants to hope that his co-workers will be enough to lighten him up. Because he’s almost sure his text will go unnoticed.

 “We can go sight-seeing,” Jongin says from where he sits and Baekhyun snaps to look up at him from his phone screen. “I can google some interesting places that aren’t too far from here.”

He glances down at the screen once more, with no hint of any reply from Chanyeol, and looks back at Jongin. He only forces a small smile; “Sounds good to me”.

The next two minutes it’s pretty quiet and the only sound that can be heard is Jongin’s fingers pressing down on his laptop’s keyboard. Until he finds a couple places they can visit and he sends the directions to his phone before closing the laptop’s lid and jumping on his feet.

“Let’s go!”

Baekhyun hesitates a bit, his eyes snapping between his cell phone screen and Jongin’s bright smile. He’s not really feeling it but then Jongin stretches out his hand for him to take, and he does. And a smile grows on his face.

There’s no one to witness them here, no one knows them, no one cares enough to notice them. There’s this freedom Baekhyun knows he won’t ever be able to experience when they return to South Korea. So he just lets himself go with the flow, and lets Jongin lead him across the streets and in different directions while talking about the smallest things.

To his surprise, Baekhyun finds himself enjoying Jongin’s company much more than what he’d firstly expected.

***

The event takes place in a well-known luxurious hotel and the room that hosts it is big. Despite the many years he’s spent attending these kinds of places, Baekhyun still feels out of place and a bit intimidated even. Jongin, on the other hand, seems to blend nicely with the attendees, with his slicked back black hair and matching tuxedo.

Baekhyun has to remind himself a couple times to stop staring at his coworker. So he’s kind of relieved when he spots the man who hosted the whole event. He’s fast to approach, his heels clacking on the marble floor and he hears Jongin following him closely behind so they don’t lose one another in the crowd.

“Ah, Byun Baekhyun, am I right?” the man smiles warmly and Baekhyun’s half surprised he remembers his name. It’s been over six months since the man visited their company in Korea where they were also introduced. Baekhyun just assumes that being a businessman takes great memory.

“Yes, sir,” Baekhyun smiles back with all of his charm. “Very beautiful event that you host.”

“Thank you, mister Byun.” The man eyes Jongin then, and Baekhyun opens his mouth to introduce him, only to be cut off by Jongin himself.

“I’m Kim Jongin, co-worker of Baekhyun. I’ve been in the same department for a couple months.” The smile Jongin shows makes Baekhyun gape and stare with slightly wide eyes, almost mesmerized. “It’s my pleasure to meet a man like you, sir.”

Baekhyun knows this event is nothing but a way for him to put out the company and meet as many people he can, and hopefully exchange contact information. But as the night progresses, he finds Jongin to ace the job. Everyone seems to open up to him, and Baekhyun stands by his side, slipping some words here and there all the while watching him. Jongin’s way of words, his charming smiles and respectful speech makes Baekhyun bite on his lip because the man again appears to be perfectly-made. And as much as Baekhyun admires him for his well-done work, he’s also jealous.

It’s an hour later that Baekhyun parts himself from Jongin and just slips to stand by the drink bar. He hasn’t even drunk any alcohol yet, and that’s because he and Jongin had been circling around being introduced to all kinds of businessmen and women alike by the host himself. He’s not even in the mood to drink, but he knows that carrying around a colorful cocktail would make him look fancy so he orders one nonetheless.

“Already tired?”

Baekhyun looks up in surprise at the familiar voice and a smile etches on his face immediately. “Yixing?”

The man’s clad in a light grey tuxedo, his blonde hair styled nicely and a flamboyant drink in his hand. He’s a bit taller than him, just like Baekhyun remembered him to be. And a little bit on the muscled side, from what he can notice.

“What are you doing here?” Baekhyun just wants to hug him, but he opts for a manly handshake because he has to keep up a front here. Yixing used to study business in the same university as him, but he has always been well-off due to his heritage, so he aimed far and wide and eventually landed in Japan. From what Baekhyun remembers of their last chat three years ago, Yixing had plans of opening a company just in his name. Back then, he didn’t know what it’d be about, since they were still so young and had many outcomes of their future. It’s three years later that Baekhyun gets to know that Yixing never actually started his own company, but rather extended his family’s name in Japan. Yixing also surprises him that he’d like to own a magazine, sometime, as well, and Baekhyun feels kind of intimidated by his plans.

Yixing wants to achieve so much, and Baekhyun’s just settled down with the first firm that took him in after university. He was comfortable with what he had, or rather, never strived for more.

“Please tell me you’re still with Chanyun,” Yixing tells almost jokingly and it kind of picks at Baekhyun’s insides.

“Yes, and it’s Chan _yeol_.”

“Same guy,” Yixing dismisses him and takes a sip of his drink. “How come you are here on Christmas Eve?”

“I’m in charge of public relations in a company so I had to show up here.”

“Public relations do suit you,” Yixing leans one elbow on the bar counter, a smirk on his handsome face. “You’ve always been chatty and out-going.”

“Yeah… I guess,” Baekhyun adds and then he hears Jongin approach, a hand sliding by his side and Baekhyun’s suddenly too flustered to notice Jongin did it to wave at the barman. Yixing’s eyes are piercing and Baekhyun quickly scoots away from his co-worker. Jongin doesn’t even seem to notice him being there and that kind of sends relieve down his spine. Yixing’s stare, however, is something between disbelief and interest.

Almost too comically, he snorts; “Chanyeol, huh?”

And Baekhyun grits his teeth just before emptying his cocktail on Yixing’s shoes.

The taxi ride to the hotel is quite silent since both of them are speechless from what happened at the event. Jongin apologized in Baekhyun’s place while pulling the glaring man away from him. There weren’t many looks directed at them since Baekhyun did it so stealthily, but Jongin still excused themselves and bid farewell to the host himself before almost running out the door. Baekhyun hasn’t said a word, he only plops on his bed and brings his phone out to check for any message when they reach their hotel room; none. It feels like another weight was placed on his shoulders and he hunches his back in exhaustion.

“Do you want some?” Jongin asks from the shelf a couple wine bottles sat. As soon as he entered the room, he went straight to it and he’s been contemplating which one he should open. Baekhyun’s sure it’s not a good thing to mix alcohol with them being alone somewhere no one would see them. Especially when he feels this down. But then again, doesn’t feeling down justify his interest in wines?

He merely nods and when Jongin asks if he has any preference, he shrugs his shoulders. “As long as the price is cheap.”

Jongin glances at the bottles again and takes the one he’s been eyeing until then. Baekhyun feels a bit uncomfortable because he doesn’t check the prices. He’s pretty sure Jongin gets the same paycheck as him, and that amount does not allow you to spend freely on overpriced wines. His eyes watch as Jongin takes two glasses and then comes to place them on one nightstand. Baekhyun has to admit that seeing a man open a wine bottle expertly, and pour in his glass adds to his attractiveness.

It’s an hour later that Baekhyun is sitting on the floor with his back against his bed, legs sprawled in front of him. Jongin is opposite of him, more or less in the same position and they stare at each other. Their wine glasses are on the floor, the bottle standing within both of their reach, half of it gone already. It’s the sweetness of a good wine brand that has made Baekhyun’s cheeks flush and sometime during this hour, he’s loosened his tie much like Jongin. The air conditioning is still going strong and although both of them felt hot from the alcohol, neither wanted to stand up and turn it off.

It is nice on the floor, where they drink and talk and Baekhyun has gotten to know some of Jongin’s background by now. From some childish high school stories to how he ended up working in the same company as Baekhyun. And Baekhyun has also shared his part of the story, some bits of his life here and there, until the point they met. They share a couple laughs and Baekhyun feels much calmer, at least now that he’s gotten to know Jongin more, he’s relieved. Because as perfect as he feared Jongin to be, he also has his own sets of worries and traits that made him human.

“And that’s why I haven’t gotten a text yet,” Baekhyun groans as he sends a look at his phone again. “He probably still hates me.”

“Maybe this whole marriage isn’t your thing,” Jongin mumbles but Baekhyun keeps glaring at the phone’s screen. All those messages he has sent the past hour staring back at him. “Maybe you’re meant to still have fun. You’re too young to think of marriage either way. You’re not even wearing the ring again.”

Baekhyun smiles a broken smile and looks at this hand now. He’s not even sure he took it with him to Japan at this point. Because he didn’t put it on that morning and he doesn’t recall putting it somewhere. “I’m screwed,” he slurs and doesn’t elaborate when Jongin looks at him quizzically. If Chanyeol finds it, he might as well stay in Japan because he’ll have no one to return home to.

“It’s pretty pathetic,” Baekhyun starts, “that we try to find solace in each other. We barely know each other.”

Jongin doesn’t reply, he only looks at him with piercing eyes.

As much as Baekhyun loves his job, he hates these events of pretend. So he downs the rest of the wine and throws his head back on the bed, closing his eyes. At this point, he doesn’t even know if he wants to hurry with everything and go home to Chanyeol, or for these two days to never end. And it pains him a lot as he realizes that he is in this position.

It’s when he feels light kisses on his neck that he comes back from his thoughts and he lets a small content sigh.

 “Are we really sleeping in separate beds, though?” Jongin raises an eyebrow at him and Baekhyun sighs as he places his phone on the night stand, before gazing Jongin’s way with a challenge in his eyes.

“Would be stupid to miss out such an opportunity, wouldn’t it be?”

It’s the freedom of being in a different country that makes Baekhyun open up more. Relax some and forget a bit of home. Act like he’s somewhere different where other rules apply and there’s no one to catch him or scold him. Where he doesn’t need to hide from anyone or anything. Where there’s no Chanyeol to worry about.

Baekhyun should have gotten used to Jongin’s lips and tongue by now, yet he still sighs and gasps in surprise. Their hands start roaming and the alcohol makes them rush a bit because why not? There’s only this need and lust between them and Baekhyun drowns himself in moans when Jongin sucks on his lower lip and his hand travels under his shirt. He’s a bit surprised it’s not as cold as he expected, but he enjoys the touch either way.

It’s intoxicating, the smell of Jongin now that his senses are a bit too faded, his movements a bit too needy, his body a bit too heated. Everything turns into a blur and Baekhyun’s brain registers some things here and there, a kiss, a touch, flesh against flesh, some fucking. He’s in and out of the feeling and the wine he drank does not let him enjoy it fully so he’s a bit dizzy when his phone rings.

Baekhyun pushes Jongin away for a split second and grabs it, the caller ID flashing so bright in the darkness. He doesn’t hesitate and answers it, his breath a bit rugged and he turns with his back at Jongin. Baekhyun can feel Jongin’s hands still roam on his naked body but he tries to swat them away, suddenly kicked sober as he breathes out a small “Chanyeol?”.

He hears shuffling on the other end and before his fiancé can speak, Baekhyun gasps because Jongin’s hand’s around his half-hard cock now.

 “Chan… yeol?” Baekhyun tries again, his voice un-steady but Jongin doesn’t pull his hand away as much as he tries to push him off.

“Hang up and come here.” Jongin’s whisper is low, lustful, and a chill runs down Baekhyun’s back. Half because Jongin’s hand is doing magic but also because he’s almost one hundred percent sure Chanyeol could hear Jongin talking over the phone. He calls for him again but the only answer he gets is a deadline.

So he calls Chanyeol and receives a message that he switched his phone off.

“Oh no, oh no no no…” he mumbles as he swats Jongin away and stands from the bed, naked and in the middle of the room only to try calling again. But Chanyeol obviously wants nothing to do with him and it pains him to realize it as he stares at his phone screen. He’s not even sure how he’s supposed to react to this. To Chanyeol finding out, to having let this go so far, to hurting Chanyeol when he has never wanted that. Half of his heart says he should just wait it out and work on some lie to feed Chanyeol once he returns home. The other half just wants to blame everything on Jongin. He knew Chanyeol could hear him, yet he still spoke, into the ear Baekhyun had the device again nonetheless. And now Baekhyun’s in shit and doesn’t know what to do.

Thus, he sends the phone flying across the room and it hits the wall with force, before breaking into pieces and jumping everywhere. He’s angry, and he doesn’t know what he’s madder at; himself, Jongin, or the horrible timing.

Baekhyun still puts the blame on Jongin that night and sleeps in his bed even when his co-worker tries to talk to him. He doesn’t reply, he’s too steamed to do so at the moment. Jongin’s intoxicated as well, so he gives up trying fast and falls asleep.

All the while Baekhyun stays wide awake and glaring at the ceiling.

***

The apartment is cold when Baekhyun enters it, and although it leaves a bad taste in his mouth, he’s kind of glad Chanyeol’s there. His fiancé is lying on the couch, the TV remote hanging dangerously from his hand as he dozes off with the sound of a movie playing in the background. He’s tucked himself in with a fluffy brown blanket but it’s obvious he’s still cold, by the way he’s curled in as much as the couch would allow his tall body.

Frankly, Baekhyun isn’t sure what he expected when he came back. Maybe Chanyeol sleeping in their bed, or staying up at the balcony while smoking (a habit he’s picked up because of Baekhyun). Maybe he expected an empty apartment, where Chanyeol would be too mad and would have left to somewhere and Baekhyun would have to beg for him to come back. And maybe in the best scenario, the one where Baekhyun wouldn’t have screwed up, Chanyeol would be waiting for him at the dinner table, or at the door, or at the airport. The one in which Chanyeol would tell him how much he’d missed him.

It stings Baekhyun because he knows that’d be the case had he not gone out of line.

He drops lightly the duffel bag on the floor and steps out of his shoes, takes off his coat and scarf. The Christmas tree’s colorful lights catch his eye and he notices the gifts laying underneath it. They had picked them up a couple weeks ago on their day off. They both knew what they were, but Chanyeol still insisted they should be wrapped and opened on Christmas morning. Who was Baekhyun to say no to a smiling and festive Chanyeol?

He catches something shine and he finds his ring on top of the coffee table right next to an ashtray that told of back-to-back chain smoking from the amount of buds it has. The guilt hits him more now that he realizes where exactly he forgot his ring. How must have Chanyeol reacted when he found it in the morning after their little fight? Awful, if he was to go by the number of cigarettes Chanyeol had smoked.

Baekhyun kneels in front of Chanyeol’s form, his leather-covered fingertips touch his sleeping face and the caress makes his fiancé’s eyes flutter open slowly. Chanyeol catches his hand, over the leather glove as his stare focuses on him. And then, Baekhyun smiles, because he thinks that’ll fix everything.

So, Chanyeol smiles back. But it’s the most broken smile Baekhyun has ever seen on him and the guilt rises up in his insides again. Chanyeol almost looks like he’s about to cry and Baekhyun tries to calm him down with sweet nothings, and surprisingly enough, it works. Chanyeol only holds harsher on his hand and brings it to his lips, where he kisses the wrist that’s barely visible over the end of the glove.

“Merry late Christmas,” Chanyeol whispers and Baekhyun hears something else break in him.

“Merry late Christmas to you too, Channie,” Baekhyun smiles small and leans down to kiss Chanyeol’s forehead. He’s a little bit hesitant to ask how Chanyeol spent the days alone, in fear that Chanyeol would mention the phone call, or Jongin, or anything, really. So he opts to glance at the Christmas tree and then at Chanyeol with a spark of excitement. “We should unwrap the presents.”

“Let’s see what’s inside!”

Baekhyun can see that something has changed in Chanyeol, and as much as he tries to act like nothing has happened, he knows there’s nothing he can do to erase it, or erase Chanyeol’s pain. So he moves past it, and swears himself that he’ll fix everything. He’ll make up for his wrongdoings and all the hurt he caused. He’ll do everything in his power to bring back what they had, even if he’d have to drag it himself, or cover up some truth.

And he makes so many promises, and swears so many more, and for a second he can see that pretense will be enough. But come Monday morning and when he returns to work from his vacation, he’s still not wearing his engagement ring at work.

Jongin’s embrace is pretty warm.


End file.
